Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”
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Jesus does not make it easy for His followers. He tells us how He must suffer and die before He will be raised again. Then He asks us, His disciples (followers), to follow His lead.
This does not sound attractive to modern ears. Everything Jesus tells us goes directly against our culture:
1) Deny yourself – our world tells us to get all you can out of life. If you can afford it, buy it. If you can’t afford it, charge it. If you want it, get it. But Jesus tells us to deny ourselves. Try doing this during Lent. When you feel the urge for something, try to deny yourself as a sacrifice for the Lord. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t eat. We have certain basic human needs. But do we need everything that we have?
2) Take up your cross daily – This is not just an occasional cross, but it is a daily cross. What forms do these crosses take? Sometimes it is physical suffering. Sometimes it is a person at work or school that makes life difficult. Sometimes it is persecution for our beliefs.
3) If we want to save this life, lose it – we are called to pour out our love and our lives for others. If we cling to our lives, it will die. This is the wonderful paradox of faith – the more we give ourselves away in love, the more we receive in return. We can never outdo God in generosity.
Jesus is very clear that this life is not about material wealth. Often we lose ourselves in the process of gaining material wealth. And when we deny ourselves of certain pleasures or things, it actually can lead to freedom and joy. Really all we need is Jesus alone. And when we seek Him alone, amazingly other things are given to us. That is how God works. Give it away and be ready to receive more – not for yourself – but to keep giving it away.
Have a blessed day!
Fr. Burke
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